WASHINGTON - This year's CUNA Government Affairs Conference (GAC) officially kicks off today in Washington, DC. The event will give over 4,000 credit union representatives from across the country access to high profile government speakers and high-minded discussion of credit union issues.

Today's conference program includes CUNA president/CEO Bill Cheney, Treasury Under Secretary for Domestic Finance Jeffrey Goldstein, and NCUA Board Chairman Debbie Matz. NCUA Board Member Michael Fryzel, the two authors of the political bestseller "Game Change", John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, and "Miracle on the Hudson" pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III will also appear later today.

CUNA will also hold its 77th Annual General Meeting, the association's yearly business meeting, whose guest speaker is actor John Schneider, co-founder with Marie Osmond of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

Some 40 New Jersey credit union representatives will attend the GAC and participate in the Hike-the-Hill on Wednesday. Half of the delegation is scheduled to meet with N.J. credit unions reps to personally hear our credit union concerns.

Up-to-the-minute coverage of the latest news and notes from GAC from its kickoff today to its conclusion on Thursday will be available on CUNA's GAC news blog, CUNA NewsWire, available at http://www.cuna.org/newsnow/gac11_newswire.php.